What Now?
by aerisbolt
Summary: Peace has returned to Spira, but not to the lives who were instrumental in bringing it about. YRP Friendship, Y&T,P&B,R&G Please note: Chapter One has been changed!
1. Chapter 1

Many thanks to those who have already stopped by and to those who left reviews. I have decided to change it up slightly and introduce this story a bit differently than my previous ones. I hope you will like the change and just so you know, for those who read the original chapter, you will see it again very soon. For those who are checking this story out for the first time, welcome! Once again thanks to DragonGirl323 and Azura Swan for the inspiration due to their intriguing stories. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns all things Final Fantasy

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Rikku sat at the edge of the hospital bed, barely moving a muscle. It wasn't right, seeing him lay there like that...then again at least here he was getting treatment. What had been worse was the few hours before; seeing him laying on the ground, motionless...with so many contusions on his face. She thought she was going to stop breathing right there...but she didn't.

She took a moment to lower her head and let out a sigh, trying to relieve the tension in her neck. She observed her blue skirt, very similar to her brown khaki one, and she was wearing a white and blue barely there tank top. _You are so stupid _she thought. How could anyone take her seriously? She always had to wear next to nothing, she always had to be silly and bubbly.

Why?

Because keeping things light was always the way Rikku dealt with everything. From the time she was a very little girl, life had thrown one tragedy after another. First her home was taken along with her mother and then she was told that she was part of a lesser people. After that it was her cousin traveling to her death; then when that crisis was averted, she later had a front row seat to a possible three sided war. But Rikku had received her father's stubborn trait and so instead of crying or being depressed like everyone around her, she decided to go the opposite way. It was a perfect idea, it made her stand out; it made her needed in her own weird way, and it kept those horrible aches away. It had always been about the attitude, you have lemons you make lemonade.

But today her need to keep things light had cost her. She was terrified Gippal would see how she really felt about him, because when she heard his indifference about her while talking to Baralai, Nooj, and Tidus it had been like a dam inside her broke. The same way she gathered strength in so many hard times was the same reason Gippal saw her as nothing but an annoying little girl who hadn't grown up yet. And it was then that she realized she would never be the kind of girl Gippal would want or was looking for.

The worst part is that he had caught her ease dropping and he witnessed her tears, so she had to make it about her maturity level and taking her seriously as a person; that way the real issue of her wanting him was not part of the equation. But she was so hurt, so angry that she had let every broken part of her heart lash out at him and their fight had been terrible. And as it was her MO, she then stormed off without telling anyone where she was going or when she was coming back. But that was part of her nature and everybody knew it.

So why the hell did Gippal go off to find her? He knew like everyone else that she would come back when she had cooled down but for some inexplicable reason, he had gone to search for her.

Rikku had laid into her dad, her brother, Yuna, Paine and anyone else she could think of to find out which one made him come after her. But they had all sworn up and down that no one had asked him to go find her; that as a matter of fact, they had said the same thing she did...that she would come back after she had cooled down. But they said that Gippal was anxious and that he didn't want to wait, that he had to find her as soon as possible.

And that is why it was her fault that he was lying there in that hospital bed...if it wasn't for her need to be dramatic, Gippal wouldn't have been anywhere near the temple when it was sabatoged by some new unknown enemy.

It was all her fault and her normal failsafe philosophy had no place here. The doctors said that the likelyhood of Gippal waking up was slim. And even if he did, there was even a higher chance he would be different, due to the massive damage the brain took.

Rikku could feel the burn in her eyes and she was using all of her remaining strength to not burst into tears. Crying would not help Gippal recover.

It just wasn't right. But someway, somehow, Rikku was going to change things so it would be.

Dark Doctor whose is brilliant but likes to break rules and barriers. (A toned down Hojo type)- that is who Rikku seeks.

Yuna has a stalker, he is a mix of unibomber and Ted Bundy (sets the bomb that severely injures Gippal)


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! The second chapter takes us back to the start of the story. I would like some feedback on whether or not I am writing the characters okay. I apologize if it isn't incredibly exciting chapter but I am attempting to try a different way of writing this story versus ones I have written in the past so please be patient with me. Okay, anyway thanks for checking this out and I appreciate any and all feedback.

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3 months earlier

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"Yunie!!!"

Paine put her fingers up to her temples and sighed, leave it to Rikku to make an already bad headache into a excruciating one. The grey haired beauty was leaning against one of the Besaid huts, trying to find refuge from the unusually brutal sun. She silently observed the lithe blond as Rikku slightly bounced up in down outside Yuna's hut.

"Seriously, you have one minute and then I am coming in there whether you and Tidus are decent or not!"

Paine rolled her eyes as she watched her friend throw her own version of a temper tantrum. Even after all this time Paine was convinced she would never understand Rikku.

A few moments later Yuna came out of the hut in such force it startled and knocked Rikku back and the blond ended up falling backwards onto the ground.

"Umph, hey what's the big idea?" Rikku whined as she laid on the ground, but when she looked up at her cousin, she suddenly wished she was somewhere else.

Yuna, the two-time savior of Spira, was standing over her. She had one hand on her hip and her green and blue eyes were flashing with anger.

"First of all Tidus is not even here, secondly what you were just doing is uncalled for, and third...I will come out of MY place when I am ready."

Rikku slowly pushed herself up to her knees, but she keep her green eyes from meeting the eyes of her cousin. Silently inside Rikku kicked herself, she really needed to learn self control but it had always felt like that gene had been left out of her genetic make-up.

Rikku continued to look away as she spoke. "I'm sorry Yunie, it's just that we haven't seen you in almost a month and since I don't have a boyfriend of my own, I have been dying to hear about your time with Tidus since he returned."

Yuna continued to stand in the same position, showing signs that she expected Rikku to continue with her explanation/apology.

"I actually have been behaving myself for the most part haven't I, I didn't try to contact you for days after your welcome home party and then Tidus' welcome back party."

Yuna shifted and then started glancing around until she found the target she was looking for in Paine. Yuna threw a help me look towards Paine, but all she got in response was Paine lifting her arms in a I don't know what to tell you response.

After another couple of moments Yuna finally spoke to Rikku. "Yes your right, you did leave me be for a little while. But the last two weeks you have been getting progressively worse in how much you are trying to get a hold of me."

Yuna crossed her arms as she observed her cousin on the ground.

"You can't tell me Uncle Cid doesn't have things for you to do at Home."

Rikku finally pulled herself off the ground and began shuffling her feet while continuing to look down. Paine couldn't get over how much she looked like a little child being scolded by her mother. Her red eyes squinted at the anomaly that was Rikku, with all that she has seen in her life, she could've been the most adult of all of them...but apparently Rikku had chosen the opposite approach, to not give in to becoming an adult.

"But Yunie all I do is work and then get into squabbles with Gippal who apparently thinks I am just a brat or major fights with my old man. I needed girl time!"

Yuna scoffed. "Um, isn't that why you and Paine are here, so what was another two minutes really going to do to you?"

Rikku's hands balled up into fists as she clinched her jaw, "I already said that I was dying to hear about you and Tidus...I got overly excited alright?"

Yuna finally dropped her arms and as she did her anger seemed to start to subside too.

"Fine, it's over now and I am glad to see you- both of you." Yuna turned to acknowledge both Rikku and Paine. She then turned her focus back to her cousin, taking a few moments to really observe her.

"It is hard readjusting after you go through so much together." Yuna said in a very contemplative manner.

She reached out with her hand and brushed away one of Rikku's long blond strands that was stuck to her face.

"You and I have had to do this a few times too many huh?"

Rikku instinctively backed away, emotion uncharacteristically revealing itself in her eyes.

"It's just....everyone seems to be restarting their life, they have so much to look forward too. I...I don't know what my new life is suppose to be, or how I am suppose to get started."

Paine's eyebrows went up, she wasn't prepared to see Rikku say something so profound as that.

Yup, she would never understand that girl.

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_Inside an rundown building in an unknown location_

He grunted, becoming more and more frustrated that the pools of sweat were getting in the way of him finishing his masterpiece. He silently wished the breeze would come back through the broken glass in the windows, but he couldn't complain too much, he needed absolute privacy for his work and after all this time the last thing he needed was to be discovered.

His eyes gleamed with anticipation, even with the few glitches, for years he had worked on making a place worthy for him and his beloved, and now the time to bring her here was almost upon him. What he was working on now was his visual he was going to give his love when he proposed, to show her how long she had been in his heart, and how long he had known she was the one for him.

Licking his lips he strategically placed the last photo in the middle of his collage. It was the perfect picture, she looked so happy and content...and why shouldn't she; after all she has had to endure these past few years, being called on to save the world two different times. But now the world was at peace and she could live a normal life and be with him.

As he lifted his work and leaned it against the wall he then stepped back and admired his work. Every picture of Yuna of Besaid, from when she showed the public her first summon, to her announcing that Sin was dead, her first concert, to the concert she gave pleading to the factions of Spira to stop fighting. And of course there were just random pictures at appearances she had given over the last few years, but this last picture had been his best work, capturing her in a moment of realization; that she was free from being everyone's Yuna. Now she could be just his. All that stood in the way of their inevitable happiness was that bastard Tidus.

Why he was back..how he was ever here was still a mystery, but if he could disappear once than he could disappear again...one way or another.

Because in the end the only one who was allowed to have Yuna was him, he had been patient long enough and now it was time for them to be together.

And he would do whatever it took to make his dream a reality.


End file.
